Central Asia
Mongolia
More horizon than border, and a rhythm still set by nomadic life, not the clock.
This is Mongolia
More horizon than border.
A rhythm still set by nomadic life, not the clock.
On the map, Mongolia is three times the size of France, with barely three million people, half of them in Ulaanbaatar. What remains is steppe rolling into desert, and desert rolling into mountains, with no fence anywhere to mark where one becomes the other.
Outside the capital there's no address, no street name, no fixed point of reference. Families move their ger with the seasons, following the grass their herds need. Travel here, and you're not travelling to a place, but moving for a while with that rhythm.
That's why we plan such trips not from city to city, but from family to family: who you meet along the way matters here just as much as what you see along the way.
The regions
One country, five entirely different faces.
Mongolia can't be captured in a single loop. Each region has its own landscape, its own community and its own reason to spend time there.
Centre
Orkhon Valley
Around Kharkhorin, site of the thirteenth-century capital Karakorum, the steppe rolls gently down to the river. The monastery of Erdene Zuu, built from the stones of the old capital, still stands there today.
South
Gobi Desert
The singing dunes of Khongoryn Els, the red cliffs of Bayanzag where the first dinosaur eggs were found, and the Yolyn Am gorge, where ice lingers well into summer.
North
Lake Khövsgöl
Clear enough to see the bottom metres down, ringed by taiga where the reindeer-herding Tsaatan people still live as their grandparents did.
Far west
Bayan-Ölgii
A Kazakh community in the Altai Mountains, where the tradition of hunting with trained golden eagles is still very much alive, well beyond festival season too.
The capital
Ulaanbaatar
Soviet-era blocks next to ger districts on the surrounding hills: the starting point where old and new Mongolia cross paths most openly.
People
A ger is never locked.
Hospitality in Mongolia isn't a service, it's a custom older than tourism. Anyone passing by is called in for salty milk tea and a plate of aaruul, dried curds of milk that the children press straight into your hand.
We don't arrange a staged 'ger experience'. We bring you to families we've known for years, where you might help with milking or saddling a horse if there happens to be work to do, and where the conversation, through the guide, tends to turn more to the weather and the herds than to your holiday.
Nature
Three landscapes, one country
Khongoryn Els
Dunes up to 300 metres high, with a ribbon of glacier meltwater at their foot and Bactrian camels that live there, not an attraction put on for visitors.
Lake Khövsgöl
Fresh water so clear you can see the bottom five metres down, surrounded by hills where a horse is often the only way to get around.
Hustai National Park
The last place where the takhi, the wild horse of the steppe, once again roams free after decades of extinction in the wild.
Between Ulaanbaatar and the next ger family there is often no light source at all. The night sky here is unfiltered.
In Mongolia, distance covered isn't what counts.
What counts is how quiet it gets along the way.
What's possible
Possibilities, not a programme
Every trip through Mongolia takes a different shape. These are the building blocks we draw from, not a checklist we work through.
Riding like the nomads
Riding alongside a local herder, at the pace of the herd, not the pace of a group outing.
Experiencing Naadam
The national festival of wrestling, archery and horse racing, in mid-July, still purely local in many places outside Ulaanbaatar.
The Golden Eagle Festival
In Bayan-Ölgii, Kazakh eagle hunters still hunt with trained golden eagles; in early October the festival puts that tradition on display.
Staying overnight with a nomadic family
Not a tourist camp, but a ger where you eat khorkhog in the evening, meat and vegetables stewed with red-hot stones.
Counting stars without a signal
Large parts of the country have no phone coverage. The night is no less dark for it.
What you take from it, we choose together, based on how much distance, comfort and silence suits you.
Wanneer reis je?
When to go to Mongolia
The travel season is short, and that's no coincidence: from November to April, temperatures drop well below zero and many ger camps and tracks become inaccessible.
Between June and September the country is at its best: green steppe, long days, and in July the Naadam festival. Early October is a separate reason to go: that's when the Golden Eagle Festival takes place in the west.
Jan
Feb
Mrt
Apr
Mei
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Okt
Nov
Dec
Top: long days, green steppe, the big festivals
Good: quieter and cooler, but still accessible, and in October the eagle hunters
Fair: harsh winter, limited access outside Ulaanbaatar
Verder kijken dan de highlights
Why we look at Mongolia differently
No fixed route The standard 'Gobi loop' exists, but we build the route around who you want to meet along the way, not a list of photo stops.
The pace of the nomad Long distances on unpaved ground take time. We deliberately plan fewer stops per day than usual.
Beyond the ger experience A night in a ger isn't an experience you buy, it's a family that lets you in. We've worked with the same families for years.
Regions over bucket list Khövsgöl and Bayan-Ölgii rarely feature on a first trip round the country. We include them as soon as they suit what you're looking for.
Goed om te weten
Praktisch, zonder ruis.
Practical matters we always look into during the planning stage.
- Getting there
- No direct flight from Belgium; most routes run via Istanbul, Moscow or Beijing.
- Documents
- A visa is required for most EU citizens and is arranged in advance.
- Distances
- A full day's drive can separate two overnight stops, often on unpaved track.
- Health
- No mandatory vaccinations, though it's wise to bring a travel medical kit for remote stretches.
- Connectivity
- Outside Ulaanbaatar, phone coverage is scarce to non-existent. Plan for that deliberately.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be an experienced rider?
No. Most rides are suitable for beginners; anyone wanting more can ride for days on end.
Is Mongolia suitable for a first long-haul trip?
It can be, but the distances and limited comfort along the way make it a trip that benefits from good preparation. That's something we help with.
What if I don't eat meat?
Traditional cuisine revolves heavily around meat and dairy; outside Ulaanbaatar, vegetarian food is a challenge we discuss with host families in advance.
Can I combine both the Gobi and Khövsgöl?
You can, but they're opposite ends of the country. Expect domestic flights to keep travel time manageable.
Or perhaps this
Other destinations
Still weighing it up? That is no problem at all. The right country often only becomes clear once the conversation starts.
Zuidelijk Zuid-Amerika
Uruguay
Flat, green and rarely loud, a country that prefers quiet over the spectacle of its neighbours.
Oostelijke Himalaya
Bhutan
Monasteries clinging to cliffs, valleys without traffic and access the country deliberately keeps limited, a calm its neighbours lost long ago.
Zuidoost-Azië
Cambodia
Overgrown temples and a quiet resilience that say more about the past than any history book.
The next step
How would you like to experience Mongolia?
Tell us whether you dream of the silence of the Gobi, the water of Khövsgöl, or a family who lets you into their ger. We build the route around your answer, not the other way round.